The New York Knicks underwent a month-long head coaching search after firing Tom Thibodeau, eventually landing on Mike Brown as the next franchise head coach and potentially the one to lead them to a championship.
Dawn Staley believes she missed an opportunity to land the Knicks’ head coach job
Brown wasn’t the only coach who was strongly being considered, as University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball head coach Dawn Staley was among those being considered. She said that if the job offer had been extended to her, she would have taken it, but she believes she blew her chance at securing the job.
“How, if you hired me as the first female [head] coach in the NBA, would it impact your daily job? Because it would,” Staley said she asked during her interview with the Knicks via Post Moves podcast with WNBA star Aliyah Boston and former WNBA legend Candace Parker.
“You’re going to be asked questions that you don’t have to answer if you’re a male coach. There’s going to be the media and all this other stuff that you have to deal with that you didn’t have to deal with and don’t have to deal with when you hire a male.”
The Knicks ultimately hired a more experienced coach
Staley would have become the first female head coach in NBA history, and such a hire would have undoubtedly garnered a lot of attention, given the Knicks’ current standing. The team is among the favorites to win the title next season, led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Staley has a stacked resume at the NCAA level, including three championships and seven Final Four appearances with South Carolina. However, she has never coached at the professional level, and the gap in skill between Women’s college basketball and the NBA is significant.
The Knicks were more keen on bringing in a coach with experience, and that’s ultimately how they ended up with Brown. The team is hopeful that Brown’s experience coaching in various eras of the league will benefit New York and its title hopes.